Lithium
by Evreyrelon
Summary: A wide variety of stories following the lives and situations of my pokemon OC's. Rated M, just to be safe.
1. The man with scars

Ooc|| I don't own pokemon, and all creative rights go to Satoshi Tajiri. I do own all the OC's though, as they are a product of my own imagination.

Do you ever create characters, and then feel the need to make sure you have their personalities right? Do you ever write stories to make sure that your characters are just the way you want them to be, to fix any flaws and work out any kinks? The stories in this story, Litium, are all about my OC's. I'm writing them in situations, trying to do exactly that. I don't know how many stories there will be, and none of them will ever follow an order unless it's like, "part 1" "Part 2". I just want to get my characters in order.

Plus I just like to write from topic prompts and what better way to do a prompt than with a story?

Anyways, this first story is about Gus Maxwell. I wrote it a while ago, and it's pretty bad. But oh well. (:

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**The man with scars.**

_There was a certain fear instilled in the twelve year olds eyes. It was dark that night; there was no moon to speak of. If there was, it must've been hidden well behind a pillar of clouds. The world was dark, and the only light in that small, grassy clearing was the illuminating glow of bug pokemon, taking shelter. The boy had been stupid enough to ignore his elder's and disobediently snuck off into the night. He was told how dangerous the tall grass became at night, the pokemon more vicious and blood thirsty. Even so, the boy had heard they lurked around here; he was determined to catch one. The time, it slowly passed. He lay crouching in the grass for what seemed like an eternity, trying to ignore the feeling to itch. The grass was rough on his skin, and even though he didn't like it, there were no complaints. All he wanted was that one pokemon, and he would be finished. _

_Suddenly, there was a howl that pierced through their air, and he flinched slightly. Letting his eyes adjust, he peered through the grass, trying to find it. It had arrived, it seemed. It took it's time, slowly making it's way, sniffing. What the child didn't realize was that it was searching for him; a meal of sorts. _

_Like an idiot, the boy jumped up when it came closer. The dog pokemon suddenly bared its teeth, snarling. He was afraid, but he wouldn't turn back. He was already this far. There was a standstill between them; the dog ready to lunge at him, the boy with his hand hovering over his pokeball. It would take about 5 seconds for his pokemon to appear; there was time. If he could time it perfectly, he would make it. They both moved at the same time, yet somehow he had miscalculated. The pokemon, now in close range could be identified as a young houndour, leaped, his claws suddenly out. Realizing the danger he was in, the boy began to scream, the vibrations echoing through the clearing. Time moved in slow motion. The dog's paw was drawing closer to his face, and was now ripping through his fleshy cheek. Wide eyes, the boy watched in numb horror as fresh crimson spilled in front of him and his screams died down. Collapsing to the ground, the boy found himself wavering through a wave of conscious. He could feel the tug at his pants, then at his shoes. Blood was slipping from his face, and he was growing pale. It seemed like the end for him. The world suddenly went black. _

Pale eyes slowly opened, trying to focus on the ceiling in front of him. A cold sweat drenched him as he slept, and he felt himself trembling slightly. Taking a couple long, deep breaths, he reminded himself that it was only a dream. The worst had already happened. Still lying on the bed, he ran both his hands over his face, and closed his eyes. Right, it was all a horrible dream, a memory long since passed. Lying in that bed, he continually reminded himself. The nightmares were now his only weakness.

After about an hour had passed, he reopened his eyes, now steady, his composure back to normal. He glanced at the clock which was bleeding red into the dark. It was seven; time to get up. Groaning, he shifted into an upwards position and stretched his stiffened limbs. Then, in a hasty movement, he pushed the covers aside and hopped out of bed. Moving across the carpeted floor, he noticed a flashing red coming from his phone and sighed. Pressing the button, the messages started and he disappeared into the bathroom, leaving the door open.

"Click. Gus, it's Tracy. Let me know when you get back into town. Taylor and I want drinks, and it's your turn to shotgun. Call me."

"Click. Gus, my man, it's Le'nore! Listen, I know you told me never to call your landline, but I'm going to need your assistance with a, well, a sort of job and I don't know any other way to get a hold of you. Keeping your cell on must be a pain, eh? Anyways, come give me a visit and I'll get you down on the details. It seems like your sort of thing anyways. Call me."

The rest of the messages droned on like that for a while, and after the first two, the man named Gus had stopped listening. The rest weren't important anyways. He would call Tracy later, and he would notify Le'nore that he would drop by if he got a chance. The chance was high, since he was currently looking for work. After stripping off his clothes, he hopped into the shower and finished in less than five. Wrapping the towel around his waist, he disappeared back into the hotel room and glanced at the curtains. They were stifling the morning sunlight, and he was debating whether or not he should open the drapes. After realizing that it probably wasn't a good idea, he moved to the second bed which wasn't be occupied, and opened his suitcase open, pulling out some clothes.

An ebony, collared button up shirt, and a pair of dark blue, washed jeans and a pair of socks. There was a moment of laziness that lingered through him, and he decided to ignore the vest and tie today. After all, if his assumption was correct, he would be making a quick pick-up. No need for serious formalities. Latching on the few pokeballs that he had to his belt, he grabbed the room key and departed from the room. It was time to wander around Goldenrod for a bit.

There were a few words that one could use when describing Gus Maxwell. Most of them would describe how cold-hearted and unattached he was; these would be words from previous lovers. Most, and if not everybody else, would refer to him as the being that stalked the underground night. Most people knew him, and were slightly afraid of him. Those who didn't know the rumors were lucky. The easiest way to describe his profession would be a "retriever", meaning, he liked to help those pesky business tycoons tie up a couple of their loose ends. Mostly, they involved getting money from somebody with a long over-due bill. If Gus was correct, this time would be the same.

Goldenrod City was lively that morning, and Gus took his time maneuvering through the streets. The people here were friendly, if not nice to each other. If only half of them knew what lurked in their streets after dark, he was sure they'd have a heart attack. Considering how Goldenrod was the a main city in the Johto region, it wasn't a surprise that you could find anything. And I mean _anything._

It was the nightlife that caused Gus to be here longer than anything else. All things aside, it was a nice town. Gus particularly liked it. Taking one of the many buses into the downtown area, Gus leaned against the seat and let out a yawn. Moments later, he arrived at the stop, quickly hopped off the bus and made his way down the street. Turning into an alley, he placed his hands in his pockets, and meandered his way down a flight of stairs in the side of a wall. Pushing the door open, he walked in and made his way to the top room with no interference. They all knew him there, and they knew better than to mess around with him. On the door, the words HEAD MOTHERFUCKER were inscribed in a gold plating, and Gus paused momentarily to roll his eyes. Pushing the door open, he walked inside, startling the man behind the desk.

Le'nore was a averaged size man, probably in his late thirties. Even during the day, Gus had come to figure out, he liked to wear pinstriped suits made of imported fabrics. The room was designed with mainly earthly-tones in mind; hard wood floors and everything. The room, in Gus's opinion, was too dark. Closing the door behind him, he leaned against the wall and waited for Le'nore to get off the phone; turns out he was interrupting. The moment he was done, Le'nore focused his attention solely on the man in front of him.

"I asked you to call me before you barge in." His tone was bitter, sharp. Maybe the phone call had pissed him off.

"You wanted my assistance, and I'm here. What do you want." Blunt, straight to the point. It was the only way Gus learned to deal with these guys. For some ungodly reason, they liked to chat the male up before giving him what they called him there for; it was irritating. If he wanted to talk to them just for the sake of talking, he would have called _them._ Not the other way around.

Letting out a sigh, Le'nore shook his head as if he was disappointed, "Straight to the point, as always. Alright, here's what I'm going to need you to do. Some motherfucker has been coming up here with some nerve, trying to get me to cut my act down. Somethin' about new business coming through – I don't really give a shit. Anyways, he's becoming a pain in my ass. Deal with him, and his boss. Smack 'em around, kill them. I don't care. Just don't let it lead back to me, got it?" He paused for a moment, and pulled out a folder and tossed it across the desk. "Details are inside."

Gus stared at the folder with disdain. "Over the phone, you said this was _my sort of thing._"

"Well, you know. You got some sort of bloodlust in you. Seemed like something you'd be interested in." Le'nore shrugged slightly.

Staring at the packet for a moment longer, Gus moved across the floor with long strides and picked up the folder. "6,000."

Slamming his hands on the desk, Le'nore was suddenly enraged. "Are you out of your fuckin' mind! Why would I ev-"

"If you don't pay me what I ask, then I decline, and the only people you have to deal with this bullshit is your shitty guys, and I've seen what they can do. Whatever it is you see them having isn't worth shit. You called me here, you accept my price." Gus growled, narrowing his eyes at the man.

Holding his arms up in defense, Le'nore nodded sheepishly, muttering 'fine fine.' Nodding with his own approval, Gus turned on his heel and disappeared out of the room. The moment he left, Le'nore ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "What a scary kid. Jesus."

Gus waited until nightfall. It would be easier to get both men at once and stage it as a pokemon attack. They weren't uncommon, especially in large cities like Goldenrod. Nobody really thought twice about it, unless it had been somebody they knew. Otherwise, who cared? It was sad, what the world had suddenly come to. Yet, it was because of this sad state that Gus Maxwell could do his job properly.

Patiently, he waited in the park, tossing a pokeball slowly up and down, his eyes flickering back and forth. _They should be here soon, _he thought, tossing the ball. Suddenly, there was movement across the field, and even though they couldn't see him, he could see them so clearly that it was almost scary. They were stumbling, two males, average height, average looking. Father and son, it almost looked like. Snatching the ball as it came down, Gus slowly hoisted himself off the bench he was sitting on and let loose the pokemon inside the ball. In a flash of crimson, a large, dog pokemon appeared. From the low light of a streetlamp near-by the pokemon could be seen; a Houndoom. . Before it could dart off, Gus quickly grasped onto one of the horns on its head, and slowly led it across the concrete, his never leaving their target.

Suddenly they stopped at the sound of barking, and they glanced around nervously. Letting go of the horn, the Houndoom sprung into action and bounded off in their direction. Screams could be hear a moment later, the sound of flesh ripping, tearing. Sobs could be heard through all this, as distorted as they might have been, and Gus slowly made his way over, hands in his pockets, as if he was taking a leisurely stroll. Crossing the field, he kept himself at a short distance, knowing better than to get too close. The pokemon might mistake his own master, after all. It took five minutes for the wails to die down, and the Houndoom reared its head back and let out a blood-chilling howl.

Taking a couple steps closer, Gus peering down at the two men, and clicked his tongue in distaste when he realized they were somehow still breathing. Glancing around, he noticed a couple limbs thrown off into the distance, which his Houndoom was now gnawing at. Running a hand through his hair, he figured he was going to have to end it. Their breathing was becoming labored, and reaching behind him, he pulled out a small handgun from a holster clipped to his pants. Gus didn't particularly enjoy using guns; they were messy, and they were loud. They attracted more attention than a pokemon, anyways. Though, they were in Goldenrod; it was the middle of the night. There were bound to be gunshots fired anyways, so Gus knew he was safe. He aimed at one of them, and furrowed his brow when he saw the moving of one of his eyes. It rolled towards him, and stared at him through bloodshot vision.

Despite being on the verge of death, the man made an attempt to speak. "T. . . tho. . . those s-scars. . ." more labored breathing, and blank expression from Gus. ". . . I guess . . . I sh-should have realized w-who my compet-tion was hiring. Gus. . . Nascone. I'll. . . be seeing y-you in hell, w. . . won't I?"

". . .Yeah, I suppose you might." Gus replied, before pulling the trigger. Four rounds were fired. Two men were now dead, and Gus Maxwell was now applicable to get his money. Letting the gun smoke disappear, he placed the weapon back in its rightful place, and whistled for the Houndoom. It returned, and he called it back into his pokeball after tenderly stroking his face. As he stood there for a moment, collecting his thoughts, he thought about his scars; the ones that disfigured his face slightly. Those claw marks were old, and even so everywhere he went, people always knew it was him because of them. Gus wasn't sure if that was good or not; he didn't really care. It had been eleven years since that houndour first attacked him. He was twenty-three now, and ever since that night a certain feeling had distorted his mind.

He spent five long months in the hospital, waiting for his deep wounds to heal. He spent most of the time staring at the window longingly, dreaming of the pokemon that put him there. Anger built itself a home in his tiny body, and the anticipation grew. No matter what, he would catch that pokemon. His brothers theorized that it was this attack that made their brother a little off. They still believe that it was because of that pokemon that Gus went about his business, doing as he pleased, only looking for prey to hunt in the night.

Because the night belonged to him now.  
He would no longer be afraid of the shadows or the creatures lurking behind them.

Clicking his tongue, the man quickly disappeared from the park, and into the shadows.


	2. Lost with Twins

About my twin characters, Clementine and her brother Percival. I don't think i mentioned it, but they're fourteen.

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**Prompt: **

_Write a scene of a couple arguing about directions._

"I think we passed the turn, Per."

Rolling his green eyes so that they were facing the person speaking, Percival scrunched his nose up, and scoffed.

"No we didn't, Clem. It's right up ahead."

The girl, Clementine, puffed her cheeks up in distaste and narrowed her eyes. Coming to an abrupt halt, she angrily crossed her arms across her chest, her lips sliding into a frown. Percival, suddenly noticing that his younger sister wasn't following behind, stopped and whirled around on the balls of his feet, and sighed.

"Clem, I told you! It's right up ahead!"

"You've been saying that for hours, you _moron._"

"What did you say!?" Percival's voice hit a higher octave, indicating that he was thoroughly infuriated with his sister calling him a moron. Though Clementine had called him names worse than moron in the past, he didn't exactly take insults well.

"You heard me! Moron, Moron!" Sticking her pinkish tongue out at the boy, she watched as his face slowly turned a shade of red. "The pass was like, twenty minutes ago! Remember that rock I pointed out? It was right there!"

"You don't even know what you're talking about Clementine! The nurse in the Pokemon center said to just keep following this path and it would lead us to Veilstone!" Percival mirrored his sister's actions and crossed his arms across his chest, narrowing his eyes further.

"Per, that was the way to get to Solaceon Town! That was the directions from _DAYS_ ago! God, why can't you ever remember anything important?!" Clementine shouted, throwing her hands up in the air, exasperated with the degree of how stupid her brother could be sometimes. They might be twins, but she definitely felt that her brother had hit the shallow end of the gene pool when it came to intelligence. Whether or not that was indicated in their genes, Clementine couldn't help but wonder what went wrong.

"Maybe this is just a shortcut!"

"Maybe your brain is just full of rocks."

"Maybe you're just a vindictive _bitch_, Clem."

"Jerk!"

"Air-head!"

"Moron!"

"Kiss-ass!"

The vulgar spew of insults continued on for what seemed like an eternity, when suddenly they both grew quiet, their faces tinted with an angry shade of red. They glared at each other for a while, letting only the sound of a distant breeze fill the air. After a moment, Clementine blinked, and glanced away. For a moment, Percival could have sworn that he had seen tears in her eyes, and suddenly he cursed himself. His eyes moved to her lips, which were trembling slightly, yet he wasn't sure if it was from her anger or if because she was actually upset. With Clementine, it was hard to know sometimes.

"Fine." Her voice was barely above a whisper when she began to speak, her eyes still plastered to something on the ground, as if she was fascinated by it. "You go your stupid way, and I'll go back to the real way."

Percival paused, wanting to say something. Yet his pride was getting in the way, and even know he knew it made him a stubborn fool, he wouldn't allow his sister to insult him like that and then just give in to a possible fake-out. "Fine."

"Fine." Clementine repeated, and without looking at Percival, she turned on her heel and went back the way they had originally came. He watched her leave without too much interest, and only turned his back to hers when the bright orange shine of her hair was no longer visible from the distance. As Percival began to trek down the path he had chosen, he plucked the red and white pokeball from his belt. Letting his eyes wander over the smooth design for a moment, he tossed the ball into the air, and with a bright, red light a small Chimchar appeared before him. The monkey pokemon grinned at its trainer, who smiled back in return. Pushing the worrying thoughts of his sister out of mind, Percival nodded at the Chimchar.

"C'mon Firon. We'll prove Clem wrong when we get to Vielstone first!"

As the young trainer started ahead, the Chimchar glanced in the direction that Clementine wandered off into, and let out a nervous groan before chasing after its master. It wasn't the first time these two had fought, but nothing good ever came out of it. The twins pokemon could tell you at least that much.

The farther that Percival walked, he more he realized how wrong he really was. It hadn't taken him long to find himself completely lost among the trees and the small openings. It was hard to tell anything apart, since everything practically resembled the object next to it. Placing a tentative hand on a nearby tree trunk, Percival leaned his head against the prickly bark and closed his eyes. No need to panic, he could easily get himself out of his situation. Firon would definitely help too, since it was his pokemon after all. Taking a deep sigh, Percival re-opened his eyes and glanced down at the fire pokemon, who was glancing off in some other direction.

"…Maybe we should take a quick break" Percival said aloud, dropping the backpack he was harboring. Sliding down against the tree, he opened the bag and pulled out a bowl of food for his pokemon, and then something edible for him, and the two shared a quiet lunch. Too much on both of their minds; Percival was worried about his sister since she was the type to get hurt on her own, and Chimchar was probably anxious around his master. Running a hand through his tangerine hair, he glanced off into the distance, letting the time pass. He would find his way out of here; he was sure of it.

Nightfall fell quickly, much faster than the boy had expected. Trying to navigate through his barrage of trees, roots and vines was going to be overly difficult, and even though he knew he needed to be on alert for anything protruding out from the ground, Percival couldn't help but feel distressed. Firon had overworked itself, and was put back into its pokeball for a quick rest, which left the trainer helpless in the relentless forest. It was almost pitch black all around him, and he felt that his eyes weren't adjusting fast enough. While he waited for his sight to return, he held his arms out in front of him, reaching, feeling, trying to touch anything in front of him to indicate he was at least walking _somewhere._ Wild bird pokemon watched from the tree branches, their eyes glowing ominously in the night, as if they were waiting for their pretty to slip up and become defenseless. It was hard to tell which pokemon would peck your eyes out or not, but he figured as long as he didn't bother them, he would be fine.

After pushing tree branches out of the way, dodging random pokemon, stepping over protruding roots for about twenty minutes, the young boy felt as if he was finally getting somewhere. His eyes were adjusting quite nicely to the dark, and he pleasantly smiled to himself. Getting out of this forest would be a breeze now, he figured, before stopping suddenly. Something had been nagging in the back of his mind since the twilight departed, yet he couldn't figure out what it was. It had to be something important, or else he wouldn't have been worrying about it. Closing his eyes, he tried to see if he could picture whatever it was that was tugging at his thoughts, throwing his mind into a frenzy.

Beneath his eyelids, he saw his sister, and suddenly he remembered. Clementine was afraid of the dark. She always had been, ever since they were kids. Snapping his eyes open, he whirled his head around, cupping his hands over his mouth.

"Clem!? Clem, where are you!"

His screams echoed through the night, yet the only response that he got was the rustle of the wind blowing through the trees, and the harmonious chirping of Kricketot and Kricketunes. Cursing, he quickly began to dart through the trees, throwing his eyes in every direction, still screaming out his sisters name. His legs began to sting and he could feel pain pushing through his muscles, yet he continued on, panic overwhelming him. It was to be expected, since he wasn't truly paying attention to the things around him anymore, that he would trip over something. The tip of his shoe caught onto a root, and he fell forwards, tumbling down the grass slightly. His whole body felt sore from the fall, and he winced as he tried to sit up. Opening his eyes, he assessed the damage; a couple grass stains and a small tear on his pants, small scraps on his arms and face. Not too bad. Placing a hand on his cheek, he closed his eyes, and sighed.

A quick, girlish shriek penetrated through the air, vibrating through his ears, and he quickly glanced up, his immediate reaction to call out for his sister again. "Clem!"

Jumping upwards, Percival rushed forwards, trying to follow the sound. This time, he made sure to watch out for anything on the ground, yet it was hard since he was trying to keep a quick pace and several times, he almost tripped again. Every time though, he caught his balance, and continued forward. Twenty minutes had passed, and with each passing second Percival felt an aching pain coursing through his veins. Sweat trickled down his face, and his ears grew hot from all the excess running. His feet hurt, and every part of his body seemed to be a bit sore from the fall a bit earlier, yet the only pain that seemed to be moving him forwards with each step was the clenching, knotted feeling in his stomach; a dark, empty void that seemed to grow larger with every anxious and worried thought he held about his sister.

As he slowly entered a small clearing in the trees, he felt his breath running short, his lungs trying to pump more air than they could hold. Wiping the sweat from his brow, Percival felt like giving up. Tears welled up in his eyes at the thought of it, but it was too hard to see anything, more or less try to find somebody. The forest was large; how was he suppose to find his sister when she could be anywhere by now? Glancing around, he wiped away the small tears that had formed at the edges of his eyes, and suddenly stopped. There, curled up into a ball with her bag against the tree, was Clementine. Her knees was tightly pressed to her chest, her lanky arms holding onto them, as if for dear life. He couldn't see her face, but as the moonlight radiated off her pale skin, he held his breath. She looked so much more fragile in the moonlight, her skin radiating a white glow. Even from the distance he was standing at, he could tell she was trembling; her whole body was shaking with tremors. Curled and tightly pressed into her side was a Cherrim, and a bit of relief washed over him. At least she had called her pokemon out; she wasn't stupid, after all.

Hurrying over, Percival kneeled by her side and hesitantly placed a hand on her back. She flinched under his touch, and he watched at the hairs on her arms rose even higher. Upon second notice, he realized goosebumps covered every bit of open flesh and he sighed slightly. Taking off his brick colored jacket, he placed it on her shoulders gently, wondering why in the world she was still wearing dress even though she knew the nights were harsh with bitter colds and unfriendly winds. Moving his hand back and forth, he began to whisper comforting words like, 'Don't worry, I'm here now' to her. After several minutes of this, her arms unbuckled, and limped dropped to the ground, and she slowly rose her face. Sucking in his breath, Percival was almost horrified to see there were cuts and scrapes on her face, along with dirt that seemed to be stuck in her pores, and streaks of clean lines moving down her cheeks. Bringing a hand up to her face, he gently wiped away her tears, smiled softly, and pulled her close to him.

Burying her face into his chest, she grabbed onto him, her fingers still trembling slightly. Stroking her hair, he rested his cheek gently against her hair, and in the middle of that clearing with the moonlight shining brightly down upon them, casting a sort of angelic glow to the two of them, he cradled her softly to sleep, reminding her that he was there. Nothing would ever hurt her. In the morning, he would apologize for being an idiot, for leaving her alone. For now, they would let the night carry and let them drift through an endless space of time where anything could happen. For now, Percival would hold his sisters trembling hand as she tried to push away her fear of the dark, and he would be there for her.


	3. My Enemy, My Savior Part A

This story comes in two parts. There isn't a prompt for this one, other than I needed a situation for Sena and Sabell to meet in a circumstance where Sabell has to accept his help. You'll meet him in part two.

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**My Enemy, My Savior.  
Part A**

The cave was dimly lit; the only source of light was coming from the small glow of a pathetic lantern fire that was just on the verge of burning out. Sabell wished they had planned their actions and item preparation a bit better, but what was done was done. They would have to finish climbing through the interior of Mt. Coronet, somehow maneuvering down the steep, rocky, unstable slopes without the use of their pokemon. It would be rough, but if they could meticulously plan out each step, every single movement in a quick enough manner, they should be able to get to at least the bottom of the mountain before whatever remaining life of their flashlight batteries died out.

Wiping her forearm against her forehead, spreading the dirt and sweat across her forehead, Sabell glanced at Haley gingerly for a moment. The younger girl seemed to be struggling a bit more, which wasn't as surprising as she thought it would be. Despite the younger girls many years of 'athletic' training, rock climbing was much harder than learned to contort your body into different positions. Sure, she was limber, but that didn't help much. Shifting the yellow hard hat that was tightly latched onto her head, Sabell gently beckoned the other girl to hurry over. Haley sheepishly nodded, and crawled over, trying to hide the exhaustion in her face.

Though, her attempts were futile. Sabell instantly noticed, and sighed warily. "Let's take a break."

Shaking her head, Haley coughed slightly. "No, no. I promise I can go on. I. . . I'm not tired at all."

"Well, I am." Sabell said, despite the fact that she could probably push on a bit more. "So we'll take a break."

"Sabell I-"

"Shush. We're taking a break. What good are you if you end up losing feelings in your arms because you pushed too hard? Or if you slip and can't get a grip on something near you?" Turning her head, Sabell leaned against the nearest wall, and pushed her bangs back.

Haley bit her lip, her eyes cast downwards, and she didn't press the issue further. Sabell was right, after all. She couldn't burden her more than she already was, and she knew that arguing to go on would only aggravate the elder girl more.

They sat there for a while, taking in the darkness around them, letting the sounds of their breathing and the rustle of Zubat wings echo around them. Grabbing the black canteen from the backpack that she had been previously wearing, Haley slowly took a sip. And then another. And then another. Taking a quick glance at Sabell, she wished that she could be as calm in a situation as this as Sabell was. Even though they were lost, there hadn't been a single remark that came out of Sabells mouth other than a gentle attempt to find their way out. Getting stuck wasn't an option, nor was spending the rest of the night with feral pokemon. The only option was getting out unharmed.

Half an hour passed before they got back up to follow down the narrow, windy passages. Every now and they would run across several different paths that would lead them to several different places. Each assumption left a huge amount of stress on the elder girls mind, yet she was determined to follow through until the end. If one path lead to a dead end, she would quickly turn them around and move on to another one. They would stop briefly and snack on extra rations, or simply to catch their breath. She was taking the utmost precautions to make sure her companion didn't get injured. If Sabell got hurt, at least Haley would be able to manage to find her way out; she was sure of it. The girls sense of direction was a little unsettling at first, but in times like this, Sabell desperately relied upon it.

Their labored breathing continued to echo against the walls as they pressed forwards. Haley still looked exhausted. Sleep would probably do her well, yet both girls knew that sleep wouldn't come in a place like this. And if it did? Sabell calculated that there was a probable 80 percent chance that they would come down with hypothermia. All in all, a terrible worse case scenario.

Soon they came upon a small crevice, and something clicked in Sabell's head. Sure, there had been many crevices just like this one, but there was something about the way the walls felt and the way the foot was. A sigh of relief broke through her lips, and half turning her head, she nodded at Haley.

"Almost home, Hal. Just do as I do, alright?"

Nodding, Haley slowly followed behind, watching carefully for the way Sabell was placing her footing. The walls were very close together, and with the way they had to place themselves against the wall, they slowly sidled through the crevice. Every now and then Sabell would verbally correct Hayley in her footing, but other than that, their small endeavor was silent. As soon as they reached the end of the crevice and burst through the small opening, they quickly assembled their rock climbing gear into a usable position. If Sabell remembered correctly, all that was really left now was the climb down for a while until they reached the exit. They had followed their tracks and somehow made it back to where they had originally started. The only dangers now were the possibility of their rope snapping and them fall to their doom, or the large opening towards the beginning of the mountain that had been so far down and out of their reach that their flashlights couldn't reach the bottom; it simply disappeared into the darkness. That had been enough to let them know not to venture downwards.

The rest of their journey took them slightly longer than Sabell would have liked, and they were now relying on the dying power of their flashlights. Their lantern had burned out quite some time ago, and as they slowly descended the walls, making sure to grip the right rocks, they were both grateful that the light at the end of the tunnel was drawing closer and closer. Forty minutes passed, and finally they reached the bottom, making sure to avoid the opening of endless darkness. Sabells legs ached and throbbed against her legs, and they tingled with the sort of sensation that you know if you try to stand up, the only place you'll end up is back on the ground. Haley didn't seem too beat up; she looked a little pale, and little more exhausted than Sabell, but physically she seemed alright. The only thing that Sabell could see that was wrong was that her arms were tired, since the younger girl kept rubbing her forearms with her hands, trying to bring the life out of them. After several moments, Sabell warily rubbed her eyes with her palms, and sighed.

"Let's keep going."

Hayley looked at Sabell, who had stood up, and noticed the trembling in her legs. Biting her lip, she meekly replied, "Sabell, I think we should wait a little bit longer."

Glancing towards Hayley, Sabell shook her head. "We're almost at the end, Hayley! C'mon, just a bit further! I'll be okay, don't worry about it. "

Yet, Sabell would not be okay. Her steps were becoming more uneven with each step, her body swaying dangerously, as if it was trying to throw her off balance. Hayley began to plead, demanding that she come back. Sabell waved her off; all she wanted to do was get the hell out of there.

Everything suddenly happened faster than Hayley's eyes could follow. Through the small amounts of light that flitered through the cracks in the wall, all Hayley could make out was the single misstep of Sabell, and her sudden disappearance as she fell through the opening. A loud crack echoed through the room, and Hayley sat on all fours, staring at the opening breathlessly. All she knew was one thing:

Sabell was gone.


End file.
